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Slot Volatility: Massive Free Games

72 free games on China Mystery by Konami
Written by Joshua

One aspect of slot volatility that we hit upon in our previous post, but wanted to specifically highlight as a follow-up, are slots that offer the potential for a massive free game scenario.

Some classic Konami games like China Shores and China Mystery, Aristocrat favorite Rhino Charge, many of the Buffalo games with their frequent retriggers, and WMS’ Bier Haus series of games, are all examples of games that can rack up a ton of free spins, and can retrigger to give you a massive amount of spins and bonuses that can go on for a long time.

These are a special class of games, which many times can be tough, but if you land a significant bonus can be helpful for a variety of reasons. We’ll talk about what makes these games volatile, and why playing them can be helpful for other reasons other than just big wins.

Gunning for Free Spins

In games where the free spin count potential is high, it tends to be a more difficult bonus to get. This isn’t always the case – some set it up so you can get a few spins here and there – but getting the big spin count is for sure difficult.

Most, if not all, allow for retriggers so even if you start with a few spins, you could get a big free spin retrigger later on. One of my favorite Bier Haus bonuses was a 10 free spin trigger, and on my very first spin I got another 50 free spins with additional wild positions, which made the rest of the bonus great because I could win every spin with the wilds I got.

The big free spin potential is the primary appeal of the games; usually they’re set up with main game features that could have a pretty tasty line hit too, although they too can be challenging to achieve. This carries over to the bonus, where there’s generally a lot of dead spins as well, but when things line up your way, it’s usually a solid outcome. Enough spins, and enough hits, and the wins can be astronomical.

Money Saving Potential

One unsung hero of this bonus format is when you get a lot of spins, you’re not betting. Winning a couple hundred spins is a couple hundred bets you didn’t place. The lengthy bonus is not only fun, but is keeping your money intact while you’re occasionally scoring big hits, despite the number of dead spins these bonuses normally come with you.

As such getting one of these big free spin bonuses can be great for your bankroll and keeping it safe for awhile. The flip side to this is your coin-in grinds to a halt, but if you get a bonus like this occasionally it won’t have any long term impact.

So for those who are hoping for stretching their bankroll, betting low on games like this can be one way forward. Just be careful, as the volatility may mean a lot of effort to get that bonus.

Do you like games with high free spin count potential? Share your favorites in the comments!

About the author

Joshua

My name is Joshua, and I’m a slot enthusiast who works in tech as a marketer by day, and dabbles in casinos periodically during off-times. Know Your Slots will reflect my interests in understanding the various ways you can play slots, travel, casino promotions and how you can get the most out of your casino visits.

2 Comments

  • Hello,

    I’ve once had a $122 hit after triggering ~253 free games on the Hawaiian Shores machine by Konami. Pretty nice for a $0.45 free play spin on just $5 of free play.

    There is an option on some of the Konami games after triggering a free games bonus to instead select and receive a credit prize. Can you comment on the impact this has on the volatility of the game?

    • Hey Ryan – when it comes to the credit prize, they’re awarded in a range that seems to correlate with the number of spins being offered. That’s a pretty volatile option as it’s just a single shot in a wide range of credit prizes, versus however many hundreds of spins you have to attempt to achieve a good payout. It certainly speeds the game up though!

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